Ferrari F1-2000 Tipo 049 V-10 Engine
"Motorsport is in my DNA"
Discover Irene Jonker's unique artwork
As she celebrates both the power and beauty of motorsport engineering - a unique blend of science, creativity, and passion.
Ferrari F1-2000 Tipo 049 V-10 Engine
Background
This drawing originated from a photograph that I took in the Ferrari shop at the airport in Rome, 2013.
Description
I begin drawings with free-flowing mark-making. No projectors are used it is all done by eye, hand and material. As more detail was added to this piece, I realised that I would need to smudge the whole drawing out and began again. The drawing was incorrect by 1cm from a central point. By using the technique of one point perspective I corrected this. Diagonal lines were drawn over the surface to 5 perspective points with several of these being off the page. My drawing method uses the eraser as much as charcoal in a pull push process learning more about the image with every session.
Medium
Coates Willow Charcoal. Homemade charcoal with a brown hue.
Atlantis Giant Watercolour and Drawing Paper 400g. 70% highly refined woodfree pulp and 30% cotton fibre. Acid free. Buffered with calcium carbonate, ph. 8.5 (hot extract). The paper is gelatine sized, un-watermarked. Not surface. Two deckle edges.
Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser.
Daler Rowney Perfix Colourless Fixative, 2 coats.
Price
£8,000.00
Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spyder, 1932, Straight Eight Cylinder Engine
Background
This drawing was the first in this series and was from a photograph from The Silverstone Classic, 2017.
Description
There was ease and flow to producing this drawing, with several invaluable discoveries along the way as to how to manipulate charcoal. Many of the fine white lines were created by using a biro to draw onto the top of a piece of masking tape placed on the drawn surface. When you peel the tape off it doesn’t disturb the charcoal, only the areas drawn with the pen.
Medium
Coates Willow Charcoal. Inscribe Soft Pastel, red hue.
Atlantis Giant Watercolour and Drawing Paper 400g. 70% highly refined woodfree pulp and 30% cotton fibre. Acid free. Buffered with calcium carbonate, ph. 8.5 (hot extract). The paper is gelatine sized, un-watermarked. Not surface. Two deckle edges.
Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser.
Daler Rowney Perfix Colourless Fixative, 3 coats.
Size
152.4 cm x 121.9 cm (unframed)
Landscape format
Price
£8,000.00
McLaren M7C 01,1969, Ford Cosworth DFV Engine
Background
I worked from a photo taken from a display of McLaren cars at The Autosport Show, 2011, NEC.
Description
I tried in the past to paint this engine using different formats with no success. Finally the use of charcoal has worked well with this image. I have used a different method to guide the middle phase of this drawing as the image was decreasing in size whilst I worked on it. The scale from the photograph to the drawing was increased by 3.4. Although painstakingly slow this resolved the problem. The 6 thbolt from the left is the pivotal point of the whole drawing.
Medium
Coates Willow Charcoal.
Atlantis Giant Watercolour and Drawing Paper 400g. 70% highly refined woodfree pulp and 30% cotton fibre. Acid free. Buffered with calcium carbonate, ph. 8.5 (hot extract). The paper is gelatine sized, un-watermarked. Not surface. Two deckle edges.
Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser.
Daler Rowney Perfix Colourless Fixative, 2 coats.
Size
152.4 cm x 121.9 cm (unframed).
Portrait format.
Price
£8,000.00
We celebrate the distinctiveness of motorsport engineering and the engines behind these powerful machines because they represent a unique blend of science, creativity, and passion. Each engine is a marvel of precision, designed to extract maximum performance under extreme conditions, and the engineering that goes into it is a form of craftsmanship. Just like an artist pouring their soul into a masterpiece, engineers craft these engines with the same attention to detail, innovation, and commitment to excellence.
When we look at motorsport engines through the lens of art, we’re not just admiring the mechanical components. We’re appreciating the beauty of their design, the elegance in how they function, and the human ingenuity that made it all possible. The shapes, the sounds, the raw energy – they evoke emotions in the same way great works of art do. This is why these machines, which symbolize the peak of human creativity and technical skill, are so captivating when represented in artistic form. They embody both power and beauty.
My work
By their nature, my drawings are different in the image chosen and medium used.
I am showcasing different drawing techniques through art history and do want to draw new technologies such as the Toyota AVL Hydrogen engine. I have a massive interest in the environment and sustainability despite the subject matter I am drawing and to this end, the printing company that I use at the moment is end to end carbon neutral.
Irene with Pat Symonds
Irene with Damien Smith
Irene with Karun Chandhok
About me
In the early 1990’s I studied art in a range of mediums at Bournville Art College, Birmingham, UK. I received my Fine Art Degree specialising in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking from Gloucester University in the mid 1990’s. Deciding to move to South Africa for two years. I continued my studies at Technikon Natal, Durban. Here, I was introduced to the drawings and animations of William Kentridge’s, which now inform my art practice.
Along the way I have exhibited at the Custard Factory in Birmingham, galleries in Durban and Grahamstown, South Africa, and the Fresh Art Show at the Islington Design Centre, London. I’ve been part of studios, artist lead projects in schools and have designed my own bespoke drawing classes for gallery settings.
The inaugural ’ Motoring Literary & Art Festival’ held at Silverstone December 2023 gave me the opportunity to share a range of my motorsport drawings with the racing community and meet fellow artists.
I have set up this website to showcase my drawings and their accompanying animation in the hope of reaching a wider audience. So thank you for spending some time with my work and I hope you have enjoyed it.
Portraits
Landscapes
Abstracts
Murals
